HD Heads-Up: May 23-29

Thunderbirds are going to a new berth and TV2 looks as it’s jettisoning its Sunday comedies.

After weeks of low ratings, Thunderbirds Are Go is shifting back an hour, from 7.00 Sunday to 6.00, as of May 24.

Sitcom stablemates Galavant and Black-ish also appear to be being retired, with TV2 screening a 90-minute magic special, The Illusionists, as that weekend’s lead-in to its Sunday Premiere Movie, I Am Number Four.

It will go head-to-head with TV3’s network premiere of Despicable Me 2.

The same night TV3 will launch its reformatted 3rd Degree as a half-hour 3Dat 6.30, following a shortened 3News.

Both moves are long overdue and TV1’s success with Sunday in an earlier, half-hour slot didn’t hurt its ratings.

The same week TV3 will screen a double-episode season finale of The Blacklistand TV1’s Sunday night NZ When We Go to Warends its run the day after Nashville completes its second season.

Replacing The Flash on TV2 is The Undateables (8.30 Thursday).

I’d have thought the network would have tested iZombiein the slot, to continue the comic book theme of the night.

Instead it’s extending its early evening factual entertainment line-up with this British series about adults with disabilities looking for love.

The Guardian said there was “nothing exploitative” about this dating show with a twist: “It’s sensitive, sensible and kind.”

Meanwhile, Despicable Me 2 isn’t the only network premiere: TV2 has Cloud Atlas — but at 12.50 on Sunday morning.